By AP/KWMU
Chicago – A Cook County judge Wednesday threw out a lawsuit challenging Governor Rod Blagojevich's authority to issue $10 million in grants for research on stem cells.
Richard Caro had filed the lawsuit saying the governor overstepped his power when he issued an executive order to hand out the grants.
State lawmakers had rejected the research grants the previous fall, and some said they were surprised the money was included in last year's budget.
Blagojevich says he's pleased with the ruling by Judge James Henry and hopes researchers can now get to work using the grants for medical advancements.
Embryonic stem cells can divide and become any kind of cell in the body. Scientists are studying how to coax them to rejuvenate ailing hearts, livers, brains and other organs.